UNews - Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge undergraduate leads study published in top-tier journal

caroline.zentner — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:32:51 +0000

A groundbreaking study led by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge undergraduate Sophia Bird is advancing vaccine development while highlighting the national importance of the Canadian Center for Hydrodynamics, which offers access to analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC).

The study, High-Resolution Characterization of Protein-Conjugated, mRNA-Loaded Lipid Nanoparticles by Analytical Ultracentrifugation, was recently published in Advanced Functional Materials, a leading journal in the field.

Sophia Bird

Pharmaceutical companies use the AUC to assess the purity of their vaccine formulations during development. Bird and the research team, working under the supervision of Dr. Borries Demeler, developed a new technique to measure the purity. Purity is critical in vaccine development because contaminants can reduce effectiveness or trigger unwanted immune responses.

“The method and software we created to analyze the data are really novel because they can identify contaminants that other methods were unable to detect,” she says. “This ultimately helps pharmaceutical companies and researchers create pure vaccine products.”

“The success of this research reflects a powerful convergence of student excellence, unique infrastructure and strong industry collaboration,” says Demeler, professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. “At its core is the exceptional academic ability, biophysical research skill and dedication of our students — exemplified by Sophia — who work at a level comparable to researchers at much larger institutions while tackling critical challenges in biomedicine.”

The achievement was made possible with the support of AUC Solutions, ULethbridge and a MITACS grant.

“It’s an incredible experience as an undergraduate student to become a first author on a paper, especially in such a prestigious journal,” says Bird, a fourth-year biochemistry student. “Being a first author means that I had a significant role in designing the experiment, writing the paper and collecting and analyzing the results. I had the opportunity to collaborate with a lot of great people who helped me understand the system, improve my research and interpret the results.”

Being first author on a research paper will help Bird with applications to graduate school and show future employers that she’s capable of leading a research investigation and collaborating with scientists at other institutions. In Bird’s case, it has also helped her land a six-month internship with Roche, a health-care biotech company, at their facility in Penzberg, Germany.

“I have the opportunity to go there and work in their gene therapy department and teach them some of the AUC techniques I use here and work in tandem with their researchers who are developing new vaccines,” she says.

Bird’s path to this achievement began in high school through iGEM, where Dr. Laura Keffer-Wilkes introduced her to wet lab research. Since then, she has completed multiple independent studies, worked with international collaborators, attended conferences and workshops, and even spent a semester at a research lab in Christchurch, New Zealand. Following her internship at Roche, Bird is looking at graduate studies.

For Bird, the publication marks both a milestone and a beginning. As she prepares for her next steps, her work stands as a reminder of what young scientists can achieve when curiosity meets opportunity — and of the vital role ULethbridge plays in nurturing that potential.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students dive into biochemistry

caroline.zentner — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 20:25:06 +0000

Two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students dived into biochemistry in a big way over the summer and became the first Indigenous undergraduate students to work at the Canadian Center for Hydrodynamics (CCH) with analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC).

Demetra (Demi) Good Rider and Thunder Crowshoe completed the Indigenous Student Success Certificate (ISSC) earlier this year. The certificate is designed to help Indigenous students make a smooth transition to university life. They enjoyed their biology and chemistry courses, and Crowshoe jumped at the chance when Beth Grier, a student recruitment officer, informed him that biochemistry professor Dr. Borries (Bo) Demeler was seeking students to work at the CCH.

Demi Good Rider, at left, and Thunder Crowshoe posed for a photo at Sunshine Point in Glacier National Park following the Salish Kootenai College conference in Montana.

“I just emailed Bo and we set up a meeting time,” says Crowshoe. “He took me around his lab and showed me the type of stuff he does and the AUC. He was also looking for more students.”

Crowshoe and Dr. Michelle Hogue, a professor and coordinator of the ISSC, recommended Good Rider, who also accepted Demeler’s offer. She signed up for a co-op position through Career Bridge, while Crowshoe did an applied study in the lab, along with another applied study already underway with Jennifer Burke, a biology instructor, in the ULethbridge herbarium.

“It was a great enrichment for our lab to be joined by Demi and Thunder this summer; they are wonderful teammates,” says Demeler. “They not only impressed us with their scientific acumen, but also generously shared their culture with all of us and invited our lab to their tribe’s powwow in Brocket — a wonderful experience for everyone. We now look forward to opening up the world of biophysics to other interested Indigenous students.”

At the CCH, Crowshoe’s project focused on the purification of DNA and RNA. Good Rider’s project involved creating a plasmid design to develop a calibration standard for the AUC instrument.

“Coming into a biochem job like this, I had no idea what was going to be happening or what I was going to be doing,” says Good Rider. “I’ve done both biology and chemistry, but I’ve never done them together in this sort of sense. It was really interesting to see all the things that we were able to accomplish this summer.”

“I was looking for a job like this because I love science and especially mathematics,” says Crowshoe. “I have Crohn’s disease, and it can affect me in a way that I can’t do physical work. This job was a good fit, and it really opened the door for me.”

In addition to working on their projects, Crowshoe and Good Rider travelled to Missoula, Montana, twice over the summer. They presented posters about their projects at Day of Discovery, a science conference, in Pablo, MT, which is the headquarters for the Flathead Indian Reservation and home to Salish Kootenai College, which hosted the conference. They also participated in the annual AUC workshop at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Montana.

Both students decided to continue their practical work experience at ULethbridge this fall. Good Rider, a kinesiology major, is doing a co-op work term with the Building Brains Together team, teaching traditional Indigenous games to children. Crowshoe will continue his work in Demeler’s lab and has decided to switch his major to biochemistry. He’s also a recipient of an I.D.E.A.L. Scholarship through BioTalent Canada. The scholarship is designed to promote inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility leadership in STEM studies in Canada.

“This fall, I’ll be able to be in charge of my own project, with a little supervision, and run experiments in the AUC, continue my career in the lab,” he says. “Crohn’s disease can actually attack everything in your body; it’s not just your gut. They don’t really know the cause of it; it hasn’t really been researched that much, so maybe for my PhD, I can pursue that as research.”

Good Rider chose kinesiology after learning that her grandfather had once been diagnosed with diabetes and how his walking habits, from one side of the city to the other, contributed to the reversal of his diabetes.

“That’s when I started thinking about First Nations health and kinesiology,” she says. “There are so many unanswered questions around Indigenous health that I would like to explore.”

Canadian Space Agency grant will help further research into the health effects of space travel

caroline.zentner — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 16:35:05 +0000

Dr. Gerlinde Metz, a neuroscientist at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, and a team of researchers have received a $225,000 grant from the Canadian Space Agency to build a better understanding of how the human body adapts to life in space.

The grant was announced recently by the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, as part of $2.8 million in research grants to 14 Canadian post-secondary institutions.

“Canada’s investments in astronomy and planetary science are a powerful catalyst for scientific advancement and innovation,” said Joly. “These strategic commitments will empower Canadian researchers with the tools and opportunities they need to develop world-class expertise, driving cutting-edge discoveries and technological breakthroughs right here at home.”

“We are grateful for this funding, as it will allow us to determine the complex biological responses to long-duration spaceflight over time,” says Metz. “Our previous research has shown that space travel resulted in sex-specific changes in metabolites involved in energy metabolism, which may be linked to bone loss, muscle regulation and immunity dysfunction.”

Space travel imposes stresses on astronauts, including noise, vibration, loss of G forces and radiation exposure. Numerous studies have revealed physical complications from spaceflight, including loss of bone and muscle mass.

The grant enables the research team, including Tony Montina from ULethbridge’s Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and a collaborator from NASA/Pittsburgh, to participate in NASA’s first comprehensive multi-level analysis of the world’s largest existing group of astronauts.

The research project could also help identify protective factors and ways to counteract the negative effects of spaceflight.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researcher receives Banting Discovery Award

caroline.zentner — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 22:05:15 +0000

Dr. Jessica Willi, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, is one of 10 scientists to receive a 2025 Banting Discovery Award worth $30,000 and the first to receive the award at ULethbridge.

The Banting Discovery Foundation recently announced its 100th cohort of Discovery Award recipients. The award is for new investigators who are in their first three years of academic appointment to help them establish their independence and trajectory in research related to health and well-being. In addition to conferring prestige, the awards also help researchers attract more funding.

“I’m extremely grateful for this funding from the Banting Discovery Foundation,” says Willi. “Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat to public health, and through my research, I want to help provide innovative solutions to this problem. This money will finance our lab’s supplies and employ student researchers here at ULethbridge. It’s the spark that will start a whole new branch of research for my team.”

“Dr. Willi has been an outstanding addition to the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, and accordingly, I am absolutely thrilled she has received the prestigious and highly competitive Banting Discovery Award,” says Dr. Paul Hayes, professor and department chair. “I had the pleasure of reading Dr. Willi’s application, which was extremely well written and creative. She is unambiguously a rising star who will help define the future of synthetic biology, chemistry and human health.”

Willi’s research project will examine how some bacteria can evade antibiotics.

“Antibiotics are life-saving drugs thanks to their ability to fight bacterial infections in humans and animals,” she says. “Most antibiotics do this by binding to the ribosome and blocking protein synthesis, which causes the bacteria to stop growing and die. But not all ribosomes are the same — they have some natural variations in their RNA. My project will test how the natural variation of E. coli ribosomes helps bacteria change and evade antibiotics. We are interested in what happens right before bacteria gain full-blown resistance.”

Unlocking that mechanism will help safeguard last-resort antibiotics and aid researchers in creating newer drugs that are harder for bacteria to evade.

Willi received her PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Bern, Switzerland. After doing postdoctoral work in the United States at Northwestern ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Willi joined ULethbridge. She focuses on ribosomes by studying the natural functions of RNA and protein synthesis to find new ways to combat bacterial infections.

About the Banting Discovery Foundation:

Formerly named the Banting Research Foundation, the Banting Discovery Foundation is a Canadian charity that provides seed grants to budding biomedical researchers, many of whom have produced key findings that have transformed the practice of medicine and health care, reduced illness, and improved wellness.

Empowering students to thrive, Dr. Stacey Wetmore earns Graduate Mentorship Award

trevor.kenney — Wed, 14 May 2025 15:44:18 +0000

With student success as her focus, Dr. Stacey Wetmore (chemistry and biochemistry) provides interactive and immersive mentorship in a supportive and compassionate environment, teaching her students the technical, communication, leadership and collaboration skills they need to become independent scientists in their chosen career paths. Wetmore will be recognized with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge School of Graduate Studies Graduate Mentorship Award at 2025 Spring Convocation, Ceremony IV, on Friday, May 30, 2:30 p.m., in the Centre for Sport and Wellness gymnasium.

“She has shown that time and time again, she will go above and beyond the call of duty to help everyone in her lab succeed regardless of their educational background, gender or ethnicity,” says award nominator Briana Boychuk, who Wetmore mentored as her supervisor while in the PhD program. “Her dedication to training and her ability to attract top students have contributed greatly to the expansion of the graduate program at ULethbridge.”

Dr. Stacey Wetmore

Dr. Stacey Wetmore has mentored 24 master’s and 13 doctoral students. Her students have co-authored over 125 publications and delivered more than 325 presentations at local, national and international conferences. Under her guidance, her graduate students have won 41 conference awards and attracted more than $2.8 million in scholarships. They have gone on to secure positions in industry research, postdoctoral fellowships, and as university instructors and faculty members.

When they join her lab, Wetmore introduces graduate students to the field of computational chemistry using interactive workshops and manuals developed in her lab. From there, she works to ensure their success by giving them carefully crafted projects aligned with their interests, with distinct learning objectives for large projects broken down into manageable pieces. Using these approaches, her students gain project management skills, learn to think critically, and hone their scientific and grant-writing skills. They also learn to develop hypotheses, run calculations, analyze data, keep accurate records and write reports. Wetmore meets with trainees both individually and in a group setting and hosts a journal club to critique recent articles. Trainees receive extensive feedback on oral and written works and learn how to deliver effective presentations. Senior graduate students get further training in cluster administration and software installation.

At any given time, Wetmore will be mentoring undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. This mixed composition gives graduate students the chance to be mentors, to be mentored and expand their research portfolio. Wetmore encourages them to attend research, teaching and time management workshops by the School of Graduate Studies, the Teaching Centre, research institutes on campus, and at other universities. These experiences allow students to learn from other experts in the field and to form collaborations between ULethbridge and other research universities. Her students are also motivated to volunteer with organizations like the Graduate Students’ Association, Let’s Talk Science and the student groups Wetmore established after the pandemic to enhance the graduate student experience.

Her lab is an inclusive space. Wetmore recruits diverse team members from her classes and outreach activities and provides flexible schedules to accommodate students’ commitments. She also includes her students in initiatives like Operation Minerva, a program that gives Grade 8 and 9 students from underrepresented groups the chance to shadow science mentors for a day.

Under Wetmore’s guidance and mentorship, graduate students are well-positioned to help solve important challenges facing Canada and the rest of the world.

Alberta researchers to study honey bee viruses

caroline.zentner — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 20:55:19 +0000

A team of Alberta researchers has received grants worth $400,000 to study honey bee viruses.

Drs. Trushar Patel, a Canada Research Chair and associate professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and Shelley Hoover, a ULethbridge associate professor in Biological Sciences and honey bee expert, are teaming up with Drs. Wade Abbott, a scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Lara Mahal, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Glycomics at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, to better understand how these honey bee-infecting viruses are transmitted and how they interact with their host.

"Understanding the mechanisms of honey bee viruses is crucial for developing effective strategies to protect these vital pollinators,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge vice-president of research. “The collaborative efforts of these researchers will pave the way for innovative solutions to combat these viruses and ensure the sustainability of our agricultural ecosystems."

“Right now, no therapeutics are available to fight these viruses,” says Patel. “We need to know more about how these RNA viruses infect honey bees before we can develop tools to combat the viruses.”

Honey bees are vital to agriculture and food production around the world, accounting for over $7 billion worth of food, honey and other bee products in Canada alone. In 2023, Alberta was home to nearly 40 per cent of honey bee colonies in Canada, and Alberta bees produced the same amount of the country’s honey. The production of hybrid canola seeds in southern Alberta depends on managed honey and leafcutter bees.

However, since 2006, Canadian bee colonies have experienced increased winter mortality, with over 50 per cent mortality in some regions in some years. Major factors influencing mortality are parasites, viral and bacterial infections, weather, forage availability, queen bee quality and the use of pesticides.

Viruses, such as deformed wing virus (DWV) and sacbrood virus (SBV), are an important part of the problem. These viruses hijack the bee’s cellular machinery and cause disease that spreads through a colony, resulting in lost productivity and even colony death.

The study is expected to take two to three years and will boost understanding of how these RNA viruses interact with host proteins.

“The proposed work represents what we believe is the first focused effort on identifying honey bee proteins necessary for viral replication,” he says. “This work will lay a strong foundation for further research work directed towards developing potential therapeutics against bee-infecting viruses,” says Patel. “Training highly qualified personnel is also a crucial component of our interdisciplinary work.”

Funding for the project came through the Agriculture Funding Consortium and was provided by Alberta Innovates and Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR), as well as through the Canadian Glycomics Network (GlycoNet) Research Pipeline Program.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers part of a global team studying the effects of space travel

caroline.zentner — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 20:50:08 +0000

A global group of researchers, including Dr. Gerlinde Metz from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) and Tony Montina from the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is examining the long-term effects of spaceflight.

Dr. Gerlinde Metz, a neuroscientist, has expertise in metabolomics.

Headed by Dr. Afshin Beheshti, a scientist from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Pittsburgh, Metz and Montina, with their expertise in metabolomics, aging and the effects of stress, are the only Canadian researchers in the group. They and a team of ULethbridge students previously collaborated with NASA on analyzing blood samples from astronauts on International Space Station (ISS) missions.

“This groundbreaking work has the potential to significantly advance the understanding of the biological pathways that determine health outcomes associated with human spaceflight,” says Metz, who co-leads the Metabolomics Platform of the Southern Alberta Genome Sciences Centre (SAGSC) with Montina. “Considering the enormous physical and physiological strain induced on the human body by spaceflight, this research is both timely and necessary as societies prepare for longer periods of space travel.”

The Human Adaptation to Spaceflight study will look at a massive amount of data collected over 12 years on the ISS involving more than 70 astronauts. The researchers will determine the key factors that impact astronauts during spaceflight. The health impacts can include bone loss, cardiovascular disease, renal issues such as kidney stones, disruption of circadian rhythms, potential cancer risks and eye disorders.

“Understanding the integrated human system response to spaceflight will exponentially increase our understanding of the risks and potential countermeasures for space travellers,” says Beheshti, director of the Center of Space Biomedicine, associate director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and professor of surgery at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Pittsburgh.

Spaceflight affects mitochondria, which generate energy to power the cell, as well as other tasks like cellular differentiation and controlling the cycle, growth and death of a cell. The researchers suspect that spaceflight disrupts mitochondrial activity, which in turn affects many aspects of the health of astronauts.

The project will use the largest available amount of astronaut data in one analysis and produce new insight into the human response to spaceflight. Various disciplines will collaborate in an unprecedented collaborative effort to make groundbreaking discoveries about the impacts of long-term spaceflight on the human body. In addition, the researchers will use a new machine-learning technique to predict possible drugs that could target the key factors affected by spaceflight and diminish the metabolic changes that occur.

“We are excited to conduct research as part of this international group,” says Metz. “The work we are doing will help us understand how spaceflight affects our bodies and, in addition, how stress can affect those of us who never leave the bounds of Earth.”

Agricultural research at the heart of new collaboration between ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and county partners

caroline.zentner — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 17:17:51 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has partnered with Lethbridge County, the St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) and the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District (LNID) to conduct research into local agricultural priorities.

The funding, $50,000 per year, will support five ULethbridge researchers over four years.

“This research partnership, thanks in large part to the efforts of Professor Emeritus Dr. Jim Byrne, will provide information and results that are extremely relevant to our area,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, vice-president of research. “By helping to identify opportunities to improve efficiency in agricultural operations, evaluating and advising on the viability of new crops and improving soil health, these projects will contribute to a more robust and sustainable agriculture sector.”

Lethbridge County contains more than 297,000 irrigated acres, allowing local farmers to produce a multitude of crops. The County is also home to rich pasture and grazing lands which serve livestock industries such as feedlots, dairies, and meatpacking and poultry processing facilities.

“As the most productive ag community in Alberta, we recognize that collaboration and sustainability are critical to success,” says Cole Beck, Lethbridge County CAO. “We’re proud to partner with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, LNID and SMRID to support research projects that will move the ag industry forward by seeking innovative solutions to challenges. We also appreciate the willingness of local producers to participate in research that will impact the future of agriculture in southern Alberta.”

“The St. Mary River Irrigation District is happy to collaborate with the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District and Lethbridge County to support innovative research from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge that will benefit farmers and livestock producers in southern Alberta,” says David Westwood, SMRID general manager.

“LNID shares an interest in supporting local researchers who can answer local questions applicable to stewardship of water within irrigated southern Alberta,” says Chris Gallagher, LNID general manager. “LNID recognized the value of partnering with Lethbridge County and SMRID to support ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge research projects that target our mutual interests and that of our constituents/irrigators. Having input into the selection of project areas of study, and some of the research questions to be answered, gives us a vested interest in the outcomes. The LNID Board is pleased to demonstrate a financial commitment to finding solutions to our mutual challenges as we continue to strive toward sustainable growth of irrigated agriculture in Lethbridge County.”

Dr. Neha Vaid, an assistant professor in the biology department, will study the potential for millets as a sustainable crop for marginal lands and as an aid in carbon sequestration and prevention of soil erosion in southern Alberta. She will test 11 millet varieties to analyze their potential as livestock feed, their impact on soil health, and seed and biomass yield.

Dr. Michele Konschuh, an associate professor in biology, will evaluate soil health in newly irrigated land parcels and compare it to land irrigated for longer periods. By comparing newly irrigated land, previously irrigated land and never irrigated land, Konschuh hopes to learn about the changes that occur when irrigation is introduced and what parameters need to be maintained to preserve soil health.

Dr. Dan Johnson, a professor in the geography and environment department, hopes to improve the forecasting of drought-related insect pests like grasshoppers. Johnson will conduct a spring survey of the grasshopper population to update the breeding survey usually conducted in late July and early August of the previous year. Johnson aims to develop better methods of forecasting grasshopper population growth, especially during droughts.

Dr. Hardeep Ryait, a professor at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, will work on a project to improve sustainability and reduce the environmental impacts of livestock operations. Ryait wants to create a proof-of-concept livestock feedlot operation that incorporates solar panels for animal welfare, both for shade and electrical production. Cattle health would be monitored through an AI-powered video imaging system and radio-frequency identification (RFID) would be used to monitor feeding and watering behaviour to improve growth.

Dr. Paul Hazendonk, a professor in the chemistry & biochemistry department, will explore the production of biofuels from algae using hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL).

Engaging educator Dr. Marc Roussel earns 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award

trevor.kenney — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 20:04:55 +0000

A passionate teacher who works to ensure his students, regardless of their level, learn not just content but the skills they need to solve problems long after they’ve left university, Dr. Marc Roussel has been named the 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award winner.

Roussel, a professor of chemistry, is a dedicated and engaging teacher who combines extensive knowledge and understanding of his subject matter with innovative teaching methods, applications to real-world situations and the expectation of regular student participation — all because of his earnest desire to see students succeed. He will be presented with the Excellence in Teaching Award at Fall 2024 Convocation, Saturday, October 19, 2024, at 10 a.m. in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Centre for Sport and Wellness.

Dr. Marc Roussel

Dr. Marc Roussel teaches with an earnest desire to see students succeed.

Following an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship at McGill ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Roussel joined the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 1995. A theoretical chemist, he has taught courses from first year to graduate school.

To provide students with the best possible resources for success, Roussel has written three textbooks, starting with a text for his second-year physical chemistry course. Roussel was also an early adopter of the “flipped classroom,” where students are expected to complete assigned readings before class so that class time can be spent working together on problems.

Roussel strongly believes in teaching students to use modern tools alongside instruction in the chemical sciences. This philosophy extends from teaching first- and second-year students advanced calculator use, all the way through to upper-level courses where computer-based problem solving is integrated throughout, enabling students to see how the theory learned in class applies in the real world.

He has found little things can make a big difference to a struggling student. Providing encouragement, saying yes to a reasonable request, including for his time, and looking for ways to make students’ lives easier are standard operating procedures for Roussel.

In his research lab, Roussel strives to provide mentorship that will prepare students for a variety of careers in the quantitative sciences. He uses a range of approaches to support student learning, including weekly meetings with each student, whether that student is an undergraduate taking an Independent Study or a PhD student, detailed written feedback at every opportunity, and a blog containing useful information on almost every stage of the student journey.

Roussel has been an excellent mentor not only for ULethbridge students but also for new faculty members and young people participating in science fairs. He was Head Judge of the Lethbridge Regional Science Fair from 2016 to 2020, Deputy National Judge-in-Chief at the Canada-Wide Science Fair from 2019 to 2023 and started a three-year term as National Judge-in-Chief this year.

Roussel has taken on several administrative positions in addition to his professorial duties, including being department Chair and more recently, Associate Dean in the School of Graduate Studies, where he supports graduate student learning through a variety of activities, notably by organizing discussion sessions for graduate supervisors where they can learn best practices from each other.

Throughout his career, Roussel has demonstrated a commitment to improving himself as a scientist and teacher and helping his colleagues and students do the same.

Broad areas of research awarded federal funding

caroline.zentner — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 21:03:34 +0000

A spectrum of research projects at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge have been awarded nearly $2.6 million in federal funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

The funding is part of $693.8 million for several NSERC research competitions recently announced on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

“This investment in ULethbridge research activities speaks to the excellence and nationally competitive research we do — everything from mapping fuels for wildland fires to bee behaviour and the dynamics of black holes,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, vice-president research. “Our researchers investigate topics that impact the ways we understand the world around us and the complex influences and interconnectedness of the natural environment, agriculture and food security, and deep space phenomena.”

In addition, Dr. Monique Giroux had her Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Métis Music renewed for $500,000 through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

In all, 14 ULethbridge projects are receiving funding support from NSERC through the Discovery Grant and Discovery Development Grant programs. Among them are the following projects:

Dr. Laura Chasmer, a professor in the Department of Geography & Environment, will use novel Earth observation and geospatial data to examine how variations in vegetation ecosystems, both in space and in time, may enhance and reduce wildfires in Western Canada. The research program, which will include Indigenous land managers and knowledge keepers, will develop new ways of understanding fire hazards and recommendations for ecosystem management to lessen the impact of fire and improve the resilience of ecosystems and communities.
Dr. Sergio Pellis, Department of Neuroscience, will investigate the role of rough-and-tumble play or play-fighting in the development of cognitive and social skills in non-human mammals. Based on preliminary findings, Pellis hypothesizes that species with more complex social systems that require them to negotiate more varied relationships will have patterns of play that train youngsters for the social skills they’ll need as adults.

Discovery Grants

The funding listed for the following projects is over five years:

Dr. Theresa Burg, Biological Sciences — Evolution of High Latitude Birds ($200,000)
Dr. Shelley Hoover, Biological Sciences — Interactions between social bee behaviour and health ($190,000)
Dr. Steve Wiseman, Biological Sciences — Toxicant Induced Dysregulation of Oocyte Maturation ($235,000)
Dr. Nehal Thakor, Chemistry & Biochemistry — Regulation of mRNA Translation During Cellular Stress and Apoptosis ($200,000)
Dr. Laura Chasmer, Geography & Environment — Spatio-temporal variations in wildland fire fuel connectivity and behaviour using multi-data analytics ($275,000)
Dr. Joy Morris, Mathematics & Computer Science — Unexpected Symmetries of Graphs ($135,000)
Dr. David Euston, Neuroscience — Risk, Reinforcement Schedules, and Dopamine ($165,000)
Dr. Sergio Pellis, Neuroscience — Social play, the prefrontal cortex and the development of socio-cognitive skills ($275,000)
Dr. Alexandra Tetarenko, Physics & Astronomy — Unravelling how black holes power explosive outflows ($145,000)
Dr. Stephanus Henzi, Psychology — Contingency and Specificity in the Structure and Dynamics of Social Behaviour in Baboons and Vervet Monkeys ($235,000)
Dr. Jean-Baptiste Leca, Psychology — Mechanisms and evolution of material culture in primates: Does object play facilitate tool use? ($268,690)
Dr. Jamal Mansour, Psychology — Measuring cognitive processes that predict eyewitness identification performance ($165,000)

Discovery Development Grants

The funding listed for the following projects is over two years:

Dr. Philip Bonaventure, Geography & Environment — Climatic, geomorphic and ecosystem-driven multi-scale permafrost modelling and testing ($40,0000)
Dr. David Morris, Mathematics & Computer Science — Arithmetic groups, orderability, bounded generation and automorphisms ($40,000)

The Research Support Fund supports a portion of the costs associated with managing the research funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, such as salaries for staff who provide administration support, training costs for workplace health and safety, maintenance of libraries and laboratories, and administrative costs associated with obtaining patents for inventions.

UNews - Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

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